I have been in the sales or support side of technology since 1989, without it I'd be unemployed. I was never a "computer guy" or the word I really loathe, "techie". I'm just smart enough to read manuals, talk to people, and bullshit till I can figure it out. I used to hate telling people that not only was I a retail salesman but I sold computers. My first computer sale was a dual floppy IBM PS/2 with a grey or amber monochrome display. For like 3k. I also sold many a Apple II GS a month before the fruit canned them. Then the internet landed and I got into help desk and then internetworking. God forbid I should mention what I did for a living because it was like an EF Hutton commercial. I don't mind talking shop with another cisco internetworking professional but discussing .dll's and root directories isn't for me. So perhaps I am a geek but I don't wear ties with short sleeve shirts and I totally suck at gaming. Being in technology has never once directly gotten me laid but the tail in the support environment has def gotten better. Used to be only the vendor sales reps who used to be hot but thats pretty common in the sales industry.
I'm nerdy as hell. Not that I don't enjoy other things, but I've read most of the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, played all the Windows Star Wars flight sims*, and generally have a strong grasp of computers. I'm not nett or scootah, but I'm far more computer literate than anyone I know, with the exception of my father. On the hardware side of things I'm generally lost, but I can edit registry stuff, manually dick around with files to make Windows 95 programs work, and generally figure out any software issue. Manually removing leftover virus files masquerading as Windows system files? Figured that one out on my own, though most of the stuff I've done was learned by googling. I can pick things up quickly, but I can't take credit for having some innate ability to psychically know everything about computers. Long, nerdy story. Spoiler Height of geekery: For a period of time, my old roommate would have people over every Sunday for D&D. Now to be fair to these guys, most of them met on Saturdays to play softball with a bigger group of friends, so they weren't those guys[/b], but they were still playing D&D. Not just any D&D, but fucking Star Wars-based D&D. I politely counted myself out and kept myself away from the living room while they were playing. One particular night, I was getting a drink when I heard them arguing, followed by the challenge "Dude, Corellians were all shady! Name one Corellian who wasn't a smuggler or pirate!" Without even thinking, I turned and said "Garm Bel Iblis". The looks on their faces were of surprise, nay, shock. Here I had been ignoring (politely) their nerdfest for weeks, and I had just admitted myself to be as nerdy as they were. Then I retreated to my room and told the story to my Princess Leia blowup doll.
Just as an aside, as a geek of many stripes but especially a Star Wars one, the fact that Star Wars is no longer geeky is cool (hot chicks like it!) but also, I wish there was some form of veterancy for us actual hardcore SW dorks. Badges, achievements, level-ups, you know, the usual nerd accolades. My long-time best friend and I have cut our teeth on the most obscure of Star Wars quotes, preferably in social situations, and I just don't want to be lumped in with the buxom girls who just got a Chewy baby doll from Hot Topic, I'm an OG(V), Original Greasy Virgin. I once took my pants off with a woman, looked down at my half-mast chubster and in my best-worst British accent said "An elegant weapon, from a more civilized time."
I have no idea where I fit in this thread. Focus: Geeks? Hot or not. Are you a geek? Are you old enough to remember when being a geek sucked? Has your geekishness become a social asset or are you still a basement dwelling sock-fucker with a canadian girlfriend who's never met your friends? Female geeks? Probably hot - I think it would depend on their personality really. Guys? I wouldn't know, since I'm not attracted to dudes. I don't really know if I'm a geek or not - I typically get bored with most geeky pursuits, aside from computer games, where I am a self-confessed addict to some games... I'm more the type to crack open a PC and have a look inside and do minor tinkering with Windows. I don't possess any really geeky artifacts, either (i.e. you won't find anything like G.I. Joe or Star Trek collectibles in my bedroom). I'm more a basement-dweller by choice, since I'm not a fan of people in general. Also, I'm not your typical geek in that I enjoy watching the Star Wars movies, but won't go full-geek on it. I'm more the type to crack open a PC and have a look inside. I don't possess any really geeky artifacts, either (i.e. you won't find anything like G.I. Joe or Star Trek collectibles in my bedroom). Sock-Fucker Focus: Do you avoid the big room that pizza comes from? Does the DayStar burn you? Do the people in your school/office just need to read more Penny Arcade so that they 'get' you? I haven't ever fucked a sock, so I can't answer this. Except the sunburn part - that does happen, and I freckle badly, so I tend to stay out of the sun. Am I a geek? Or not? I have no idea.
What a great thread for me to return to TiB for. This Venn diagram seems pretty accurate and I definitely fit into the geek category, although I am way in the geek closet. I know a lot about computers (hardware and software), was OBSESSED with World of Warcraft, I watch anime (fucking LOVE Full Metal Alchemist), and I know some very obscure Star Wars facts. But like I said, I am undercover. In public, I don't talk about any of that stuff unless I am surrounded by fellow geeks. As for female geeks, I don't really find it attractive. Discussing the plot to Portal with me will quickly land you in the friend zone. I like to see my girlfriend roll her eyes when I bring up my CoD k/d ratio with my buddies.
Not my geek interests. I like to cook/camp/fish/watch sports with my girlfriends, though. I think I am still a little embarrassed over my geekyness and am not ready to share it yet. Related to the Focus: I guess high school left it's marks. Sock-Fucker Focus: Fruit Fucker!